BOTHELL — David Kilbourne has been studying the Bible for about 40 years, but he is confident he will learn something new this weekend.
Kilbourne plans to join thousands of people attending a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in Tacoma. The convention consists of two sets of three-day events held over consecutive weekends.
Kilbourne, an elder in his small south Bothell congregation, described the convention as a kind of a family reunion.
“We get to be with friends we haven’t seen in months. We are there to study the Bible together and receive encouragement from the scriptures,” he said.
From Snohomish County alone, about 2,500 people are expected to attend, said Henry Schwerdtfeger, a spokesman for the convention. Many will come from one of the county’s 22 Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations, but many of the visitors will be people interested in learning about the Witnesses’ beliefs.
All are welcome to the convention, which focuses on drawing closer to God. The event is this weekend and the next, Friday through Sunday. The gatherings are at the Tacoma Dome from 9:20 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 9:20 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. on Sundays. It’s free and no collections will be taken, Schwerdtfeger said.
In the past few weeks, Witnesses around Western Washington have been going door to door to invite their neighbors to the convention.
Kilbourne said he looks forward to it every year with its welcoming, positive atmosphere and “a large group of people who trying very hard, in our imperfect way, to be Christlike and to follow the Bible.”
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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